Women with early stage breast cancer don't live any longer if they participate in group talk therapy, a new study concludes.

The finding is likely to bring an end to research focusing on survival benefits of psychotherapy, one expert said, although the technique has other advantages that need to be more fully explored.

The report appears in the online edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and will be published in the November 1 print edition (Vol. 22, No. 21).

Researchers in Australia and the US studied 303 women with stage 1 or 2 breast cancer who were also receiving chemotherapy. About half of them were assigned to attend group talk therapy and relaxation classes; the others took only the relaxation classes. After 5 years of follow-up, there were no significant differences in survival between women in the two groups.

The finding isn't really surprising, said lead author David Kissane, MD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Although one well-known study did find a survival benefit from group therapy, subsequent research has failed to reproduce those results.

But that doesn't mean psychotherapy is of no use to cancer patients, Kissane said. His study found important improvements in quality of life for women who were taking group therapy.

"The therapy helps with their understanding of cancer and its treatment," said Kissane. "It helps with reducing anxiety, reducing fear of recurrence, and with improving family relationships."

The women participated in a type of therapy called cognitive-existential group therapy. It is designed to help them confront destructive attitudes that contribute to negative feelings. The women discussed topics like fear of dying and recurrence, the doctor-patient relationship, family relationships, sexuality, and goals for the future.

The group setting is helpful, Kissane said, because women who are better able to cope with their situation provide gentle guidance and assistance to women who are having more difficulty.

Although some self-help groups deal with these types of issues, Kissane said such therapy can be quite complex and is better delivered by a professional therapist.

He noted, however, that funding is scarce for psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers to provide this type of service.

"In America there is a problem in funding mental health care," he said. "The level of support even for cancer patients is such that many will get easy [insurance] coverage for surgery and medical oncology, but coverage for psycho-oncology is not always available."

This area of treatment should not be ignored, Kissane said, because it provides important psychological benefits to patients.

"In terms of really treating the person, you want to improve their quality of life, their coping, and their adaptation to this illness," he said.